Benfica’s Champions League playoff hopes were revitalized by a recent 2-0 victory, prompting striker Vangelis Pavlidis to declare upcoming matches as “finals” while also publicly defending his struggling teammate.
Pavlidis expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance against Ajax. He believes Benfica can still reach the Champions League playoffs.
The Greek forward described the next match against Napoli as another “final,” noting the team faces “three more finals.” Benfica, he stressed, “must continue in the Champions League.”
“It was difficult not to get points until now,” Pavlidis said. “Today we defended better than in the previous four games of the competition. We focus game by game.”
Pavlidis also came to the defense of teammate Ivanovic, who remained on the bench during the recent match. He asserted that Ivanovic is a good player and is needed by the team.
“Ivanovic is a good player, we need him,” Pavlidis stated. “We will find the moment for him, as happened with me last year.”
Pavlidis noted the difficulty for new players joining a club, pointing to significant pressure. He believes the team needs to perform better to support Ivanovic.
“I don’t understand where the negativity comes from,” Pavlidis added. “It’s not easy to arrive at a new club. There is a lot of pressure. The team is not playing enough to help him. He needs time.”
He suggested asking the coach for more details about Ivanovic’s situation.
Pavlidis observed that Benfica played “intelligently,” particularly after scoring the first goal. The team maintained defensive control and executed effective counter-attacks, leading to the second goal.
Regarding post-match comments, Pavlidis relayed that José Mourinho had few words for the team. “He just said we’ll see you tomorrow,” Pavlidis concluded.